


As Opposed to Grading

by luucarii



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Archery, F/M, Female My Unit | Byleth, Pre-Time Skip, light teasing, pre-release
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-09 16:44:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19891069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luucarii/pseuds/luucarii
Summary: Byleth flipped over the quiz and turned her head back to meet Claude’s insufferable grin. “Can I help you...Claude? Is there anything you wanted?”“Yeah!” He reached over and snatched the pen from her hand, letting it roll off to the side of the desk. “I wanna practice archery with my favorite teacher!”





	As Opposed to Grading

Another day gone. 

Byleth let out a sigh, stretching her arms above her head. Piles of quizzes littered her desk with a few scattered on empty desks in the classroom. The scent of chalk tickled her nose while the quiet echo of the late bell rang in the distance. The final class of the day had let out hours ago but only now were students beginning to retreat to their dorms for the evening, training was their main time passer. She peeked out the window toward the training grounds and graced a soft smile at the wooden swords and lances, touched scarlet by the setting sun. 

Reaching over to the pile, Byleth prepared herself for what would probably be a long night. Especially considering Hilda was the first name at the top of the pile. She mused a tiny chuckle recalling the girl obnoxiously glancing over at Ignatz’s paper for answers even despite Byleth’s watchful eye.

Dipping her pen in red ink, Byleth’s eyes scanned over the quiz before her ears caught footsteps rushing closer.

“Teeeeeeeach!” Byleth recognized the voice immediately and sighed with a quiet chuckle. The door swung open and the beaming grin of Claude peered across the doorframe. 

“Claude.” She greeted with an amused glance before returning to Hilda’s test.

As he slipped inside the classroom, Claude pouted dramatically. “Come on, Teach! Don’t tell me you’re wasting _another_ night grading.” 

“I gave you all a quiz, who’s gonna grade it if not me?”

“You’re right!” Claude weaved his way through the classroom and stopped at Byleth’s desk, leaning one hand against the side. He mused a chuckle, jokingly shrugging his shoulders. “Maybe you should just stop giving us quizzes then?”

“Would you rather my fifty-question tests?” Byleth responded with an innocent smile, giggling quietly at how the joking expression turned sheepish. 

He leaned over and blinked curiously at the next quiz in the pile, belonging to Marianne. Byleth watched him out of the corner of her eye for a second but refocused her attention to Hilda’s quiz. The day was over now and she had no need to worry for retakes, she could bend the rules a little and let Claude take a peek at one of his fellow students’ answers.

Claude sighed, crossing his arms. “Poor Marianne, she wrote an apology at the top of her quiz.”

“She did not!” Byleth reached over and pulled Marianne’s quiz off the pile and her heart dropped. In small fanciful script, Marianne had written a small note expressing her regret for not being able to answer the questions correctly. “Poor thing…I don’t think she could’ve done bad.”

With a frown, Byleth slipped the quiz back onto the pile and went back to looking over Hilda’s. Overall the first half of the quiz was fine, a few wrong answers but she assumed the latter half with beautifully written open-ended questions were the parts she snatched from Ignatz.

“Isn’t cheating an automatic zero?” Claude glanced over Byleth’s shoulder. “Hilda’s not really subtle with cheating, especially considering Ignatz sits right next to her.”

Byleth flipped over the quiz and turned her head back to meet Claude’s insufferable grin. “Can I help you...Claude? Is there anything you wanted?”

“Yeah!” He reached over and snatched the pen from her hand, letting it roll off to the side of the desk. “I wanna practice archery with my favorite teacher!”

“But I’m--”

Claude pulled her chair out from her desk and outstretched his arm, motioning for her to stand. A lithe finger pointed out the window toward the training grounds. “The quizzes’ll still be there tomorrow.”

Byleth let out a sigh, dramatizing an eye roll before slipping out of her chair.

* * *

“Alright, nock your arrow.” Byleth ordered with the detailed eyes of an instructor. She watched Claude pull the arrow from his back and nock it swiftly, his fingers greedily tugging at the bowstring as he awaited her next instruction.

“Pull your string.” Claude obeyed quickly, raising his arms and pulling the bowstring back with an eager smile creasing his lips. He shut one eye, aiming his arrow toward the target ten yards ahead of him.

“Re--” The arrow slipped out of the bow before Byleth could finish the word. Just like always. Claude was always too excited to wait for final instructions. Though Byleth had no doubt the arrow struck where he wanted. Claude was more than proficient with a bow, it was a wonder he even asked her to practice with him.

Claude let his arms relax, tilting his head off to one side to chuckle at Byleth. “Bullseye.” 

“Nice work, you’re getting better and better everyday.” Byleth crossed her arms and smiled.

“Come on, Teach, you can give me a better compliment than that.” He kicked the dirt childishly as he neared Byleth with playful pout.

“I think I’ll settle for minus five off your quiz.” She teased as Claude held his heart with his hands.

“No need for that!” A sheepish laugh rumbled in his throat before a playful smile took its place. “It’s your turn now.”

“No--Claude, I really don’t need to--”

Byleth had lost the breath to argue as she found a bow in her hands and an arrow being lightly nudged against her side. Her hands shook somewhat, still somewhat unfamiliar with the bow and the strength behind being able to use one. Her proficiency was in swords and swords alone, and she was ready for the embarrassment of being shown up by one of her own students.

“Nock your arrow.” Claude ordered, attempting to mimic the low yet girlish tone of Byleth’s voice. She bit back a hiss and set the arrow in place.

“Pull your string.” Her arms quivered as she strained herself to pull the bowstring back. 

“Release.” Byleth exhaled harshly, letting the arrow fly and holding back her groan as it barely hit the edge of the target. She could hear Claude’s desperate attempts to hold back his laughter.

“Wow, Teach, that was _something_.” Claude teased with a closed-eyed grin. “You probably just need a little more power. Here.” He handed her another arrow and came up behind her. “Nock it again.”

Byleth exhaled slowly and set the arrow into place. Without needing to be told, she pulled back the bowstring but noticed it was much easier. Claude had lent two of his fingers to the string and helped her tug it back.

“On the count of three.” He looked to her for confirmation and she nodded quickly.

“One.” Byleth inhaled.

“Two.” Claude’s steady breathing tickled her ear.

“Three.”

At once the arrow went flying with much more speed and power than before, landing just below the center of the target. She let out a satisfied sigh and giggled to herself.

“Yeah, I think I’ll stick with swords.”

Claude chuckled with a playful sparkle in his eyes, “probably for the best… Byleth.”

She turned her head and Claude swallowed quickly, drowning out his loose tongue with a loud laugh.

“...So, about that ‘minus five’?”

**Author's Note:**

> Um, I told myself I wouldn't write any 3H fics until after the game came out but I recently made the switch to Golden Deer so I HAD to give this boy some love.
> 
> ALSO I tried my best to make this seem as platonic as possible since this is "pre-time skip" and I'm not too keen on the whole teacher/student thing but I did also want to semi establish that Claude might have a thing for good ol Teach so?? I hope?? it's not too bad???
> 
> Welp, let's just see what happens.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
